Al Pike: Here we go again

The Giants are the last team to beat the Patriots. Hopefully, they'll be the last team standing tonight.

As a life-long fan of the New York Football Giants, I'm a little more worried than I was four years ago when the Patriots were chasing perfection.

I was more ticked off in 2008 when the Giants weren't getting any respect, despite giving the Patriots all they could handle in a 38-35 loss in the regular-season finale in New Jersey that provided the impetus and the confidence for future success.

New England entered Super Bowl XLII as a 12-point favorite. The pressure was on the Patriots in '08. No one gave the Giants a chance.

They were supposed to play the Washington Generals to the Patriots Harlem Globetrotters. It was a done deal. We all remember what really happened.

I was one of the few who not only gave the Giants a chance, but picked them to win. One response to my prediction in a pre-Super Bowl column suggested I get out of town, while others said I was out of my mind.

A few of the latter even came from Giants' fans, who nevertheless applauded my cock-eyed optimism.

I've gotten a lot of mileage out of that win over the past four years, even though in the immediate aftermath of the Giants' 17-14 win I resisted the temptation to gloat.

I had made my point, and left it at that. I went out on a limb, and fortunately the Giants didn't cut it off. I'm not going to be quite so bold this time around.

I waited 40 years for the Giants and Patriots to meet in the Super Bowl. I wasn't prepared for the rematch to come so soon.

However, this time it's a little different in the way the two teams are perceived. The Giants are still underdogs (by 3 points), but many experts are picking them to win, and that worries me.

I like it better when they fly under the radar with nothing to lose. Now they're dealing with the pressure of high expectations, based mainly on the way the teams are playing now.

The Giants have certainly traveled the tougher road to Indianapolis. They've been in playoff mode for a a month and a half. They had to win the final two games of the regular season just to make the playoffs.

Much like four years ago, the Giants have gotten hot at the right time. Once 7-7, they've won five in a row en route to the ultimate game.

After beating the Falcons at home in the wild card round, the NFC champs defied the odds by upsetting two teams with a combined record of 28-4 on the road.

First it was the defending Super Bowl champion Packers at Lambeau Field, then the surprising 49ers in San Francisco.

The Patriots, meanwhile, were home for the playoffs. They took care of the Broncos and Tebow-time with ease and survived the Ravens in the AFC championship game.

Those teams are hardly considered offensive juggernauts. The Giants are more battle-tested.

I think they should beat the Patriots. They're the more complete team. But the Pats have some intangibles going for them, not the least of which is revenge, even though they won't publicly admit it.

They'd like nothing more than to take down the team that ruined a rare chance to make history. When you finish 18-1 you don't want the one loss to be in the Super Bowl, no matter how good a run you've had up to that point.

(To this day my esteemed colleague John Doyle and I get into an occasional disagreement. He still insists the Patriots had the better year. My question to him is: Would you rather go 14-6 and win the Super Bowl or 18-1 and lose it?).

I think I know what most rational people would choose.

They say no one remembers who lost the Super Bowl; EVERYONE remembers who lost that one. And if you don't think the revenge factor exists, particularly among the current Patriots' players who were in uniform for that game four years ago, you're delusional.

Of course it does.

The Giants also beat the Patriots earlier in the 20011 regular season in Foxborough, Mass. In both contests, Giants' quarterback Eli Manning upstaged Tom Brady with scoring drives late in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots have won 10 straight since losing to the Giants at Gillette Stadium.

Also, Brady didn't play particularly well against the Ravens, and he seldom has two bad games in a row, more cause for concern if you're a Giants' fan.

Still, if the ultra-confident Giants don't turn the ball over on offense and pressure Brady on defense like they did in '08, I think they'll win.

I'm just not quite as sure as I was four years go.

But one thing I do know. No matter who wins tonight in Indy, the Giants will still be the last team to beat the Patriots.

Al Pike is a staff sports writer for Foster's Daily Democrat. He can be reached at 742-4455, ext. 5514, or at apike@fosters.com.